It is a common procedure to mount various types of working tools to the body of a shank.
It is desirable that the vertical heights of the attaching tool be capable of simple adjustment. Such adjustment should be as convenient to operate as possible. It is also desirable to have the mounting system held firmly in place when operating the shank and coupled tool in the ground.
Various types of tools can be attached to shanks and in many cases the attached tools can have considerable span to either side of the shank. Under these conditions, high twisting loads can be applied to the tool mounting assembly.
Often the shank itself may have a minimal width to reduce power requirements and to reduce soil disturbance. It is therefore desirable to minimize the width of tool and mounting systems in conformity with the width of the shank.
A common system for attaching various tools is to form, in the shank itself, a series of holes to which tools can be attached by bolts. The vertical adjustment is time consuming. Further, the formation of such holes generally reduces the strength of the shank.
Serrated tracks are sometimes formed in the rear of the shank to which tools are mounted by clamping two cheek plates to the track. These cheek plates are difficult to keep tight when subject to inevitable asymmetrical side loads.
It is the object of the present invention to overcome and substantially ameliorate the above-described disadvantages and to enhance the usefulness of such systems in the field.